First Sight: Sonia and Anita

Sonia and Anita, two sisters living in India, have been blind since birth, but a simple eye operation makes it possible for them to see their mom for the first time. The nonprofit organization 20/20/20 provides free operations to these sisters--as well as thousands of other people in developing countries. These procedures empower people in impoverished communities to create better futures. In this short film, Blue Chalk Media shares the sisters’ poignant story and captures their initial experiences after the bandages come off.

While blindness is rare in developed countries, it is 500% more prevalent in the developing world and it can strike AT ANY AGE. From babies who are born completely blind, up through every age bracket, all the way up to 80-year-olds, blindness is the biggest global health problem you have never heard of. The amount of pain and suffering caused by blindness is staggering.

You see, in a developing country, when you go blind, your eyesight is just the first thing you lose. Some say it is like dying with your eyes open. When a 35-year-old farmer goes blind, he loses his farm, all of his income and his family becomes beggars. When a 25-year-old mother goes blind, she loses her marriage and her children as her husband throws her out and marries someone else. Blindness hurts women much more than it hurts men. And when a child goes blind, they pretty much lose everything. The chance to go to school, to get a job, to lead any kind of a normal life. For many children, blindness can be a death sentence. The WHO reports that 60% of children die within 1-2 years of going blind. Whether you are 8 years old or 80 years old, in most developing countries they say a blind person is like a “mouth with no hands.”

The saddest part of this massive blindness problem is that most of this pain and suffering is completely unnecessary. Half of the blind children and adults in the world could have their eyesight restored through a simple, 15-minute surgery that costs as little as $300. The only problem is, for the poorest people in the world, who live on $1 a day, they could never afford to pay for a $300 surgery. So they will remain blind for the rest of their lives – unless someone helps them. 20/20/20 is your chance to be that someone.

For more information, please visit the 20/20/20 website HERE.